Introduce Yourself to the Forum A good place to "dip your toe in the pool". Let the other forums know your connection/interest in Baja...

Old 02-02-13, 12:14 PM   #1
Frostback
 
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Default Dipping Our Toes

Newbie poster here, currently living in Kamloops, BC and considering the move to Baja.
Our family has visited Los Cabos a couple of times and we feel that is a good fit for us to try a
couple of months there this summer. We are looking to rent a house or condo, but would also consider a house sitting opportunity. If anyone knows a good contact for these types of service, please let me know.
I am a contractor, my wife is a Spanish teacher at the university, and we have 2 boys (6&8).
We have lived in Cuernavaca but find it over developed and we really want to live close to the ocean. If anyone has thoughts on the best places with vibrant community spirit, great schools, abundance of organic foods, affordable marina...etc, I am very interested in doing the upfront research to make our 2 month trial an easy sell for the entire family to stay on make this our home.
Peace and thank you for reading my post.
Old 02-02-13, 02:09 PM   #2
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Default Re: Dipping Our Toes



You'll find plenty of resources here. Good luck on your family adventure in Baja Sur.
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Old 02-02-13, 06:10 PM   #3
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Default Re: Dipping Our Toes

Are you planning on enrolling your kids in school in Baja Sur?
Old 02-02-13, 06:19 PM   #4
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Default Re: Dipping Our Toes

We are definitely considering school options... any ideas?
Old 02-02-13, 06:36 PM   #5
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Default Re: Dipping Our Toes

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frostback
We are definitely considering school options... any ideas?
Do your kids speak the lingo? I believe the schools will test for that.
Do you plan on using your contractor skills for profit?
Anyway....welcome to TalkBaja and good luck in your quest for the perfect world. Keep us posted on your progress.
Old 02-02-13, 08:40 PM   #6
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Default Re: Dipping Our Toes

Welcome to TalkBaja Frostback. Believe it or not you can work down here,but you need to get a visa lucrativa first. Contrary to what some may say it is doable (I did it) but t will take awhile to find your niche and client market to make it workable.

Not sure about bilingual schools down south - anybody know???

Maybe it would benefit you to merge the schooling topic into this thread:

Moving to Baja with School-aged kids?
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Old 02-02-13, 08:58 PM   #7
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Default Re: Dipping Our Toes

Quote:
Originally Posted by BajaGringo
Not sure about bilingual schools down south - anybody know???
There are a few private schools in La Paz that are bilingual, not sure about Cabos but I would think that there is also.

Marina pricing can be comparable to North of the Border in La Paz, I understand the marinas in the Cabos area are not cheap......

I know it gets pretty warm in July and August but maybe you might want to come down durning the kids and wifes summer school break and scope the area out while renting a place.

Kamloops has alot going for it also and this area would be a HUGE change.....

Just a suggestion.

Last edited by CDN_JOHNNY; 02-04-13 at 07:56 PM.
Old 02-03-13, 08:11 AM   #8
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Default Re: Dipping Our Toes

Thank you all for the feedback, this really is a friendly forum.
Part of the reason for the big move is the fact that most schools in Mexico ARE Spanish speaking only. My boys are Mexican by birth to my beautiful Cuernavaca girl, but they are purely Canadian culturally. I know that it is quite frustrating for Yazmin that she speaks to them 90% of the time in Spanish, yet they consistently respond in English. I guess only when they visit with their Abuelos do they actually use their language skills.only because, well, Abuela doesn't have any English, eh?
The part about earning a living we have already designed into our plans. My business practically runs with me using email and phone, so with a few tweaks, this Kamloops operation will continue on into the future with me just making strategic appearances.
As for Yazmin, the University has been kind enough to practically phase out the classroom instruction for her and moved more towards an Open Learning model. She now has far more students, gets paid on a per student, per assignment basis, and all from home. If any of you would like to hone your skills, the program is from TRU and is open to all. (shameless plug inserted).
Old 02-03-13, 01:13 PM   #9
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Default Re: Dipping Our Toes

Well that does change things a bit.

This could really prove to be a very positive experience for your family but you still need to do your homework and I like the idea of spending some summer months living in the area. If you guys handle that well then the rest of the year will seem like paradise...
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Old 02-04-13, 08:16 PM   #10
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Default Re: Dipping Our Toes

Yea that changes thing's big time...

We have friends who have moved back to Mexico from Canada and are in the same situation, Mexican married to a Canadian.

At home in Canada (Toronto area) - Spanish was spoken and the schooling was in English (with the compulsory French thrown in).

Therefore the kids were totally fluent in both languages.
Now that is somewhat reversed as they are trying to speak English in the home so they don't loose that side.

One difference in their situation is the move happened when the kids were 13 and 15.

The main complaints from the kids is that they miss the GREEN, the change in seasons and the lack of sports activities that are easily accessible in Canada.

PS: Cuernavaca beautiful area "The Valley of Eternal Spring". I spent many weekends at a little resort there when I was working in Mexico City.